Category: Australian News

The Morrison Government is supporting Australia’s manufacturers to turn their good ideas into world-beating realities that create more local jobs, with a new $30 million fund.
Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said the Commercialisation Fund will foster projects that bring industry and researchers together to commercialise new manufacturing products and processes.
“Making science and technology work for industry is one of the central pillars of our Government’s $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy and this fund is just one of the ways we’re delivering on that,” Minister Andrews said.
“The Morrison Government is positioning Australia’s manufacturing industry at the cutting edge of innovation and this fund will help bring together the best of research and manufacturing capability to generate commercial outcomes.
“We know that by making our manufacturers more competitive and helping them to take on the world, we will create jobs for Australians – both for the COVID-19 recovery and for generations to come.”
Consistent with all programs under the Modern Manufacturing Strategy, this fund will support projects within the Government’s six National Manufacturing Priorities.
These priorities are: Medical Products, Food and Beverage, Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Processing, Recycling and Clean Energy, Defence, and Space.
Commercialisation Fund grants will be between $100,000 and $1 million and must be matched by industry. These smaller-sized grants will complement the larger projects that will be supported through the $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative.
Projects must include collaboration with a research partner and a minimum of one industry partner.
The fund will run over an 18-month period. The first round of funding, which opens today, will provide $20 million while a subsequent round will deliver the remaining $10 million.
The fund will be managed and administered by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), in collaboration with the five other Industry Growth Centres AustCyber, Food Innovation Australia Ltd (FIAL), MTPConnect, METS Ignited and National Energy Resources Australia (NERA), and the CSIRO.
For more information and to apply for a grant go to https://www.amgc.org.au/projects/

Australia’s airlines, hotels and caravan parks, restaurants and bars, travel agents and tourism operators are set for a rush of hundreds of thousands of tourists as part of a new $1.2 billion support package from the Morrison Government.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said while Australia’s economy had recovered 85 per cent of its fall from COVID-19, the next step in the Government’s National Economic Recovery Plan would target the businesses, workers and regions still doing it tough.
The Prime Minister said the package’s mix of half-price airline tickets, cheap loans for businesses and direct support to keep planes in the air, and airline workers in their jobs, would be a bridge to a more normal way of life for Australians.
“This is our ticket to recovery – 800,000 half-price airfares to get Australians travelling and supporting tourism operators, businesses, travel agents and airlines who continue to do it tough through COVID-19, while our international borders remain closed,” the Prime Minister said.
“This package will take more tourists to our hotels and cafes, taking tours and exploring our backyard. That means more jobs and investment for the tourism and aviation sectors as Australia heads towards winning our fight against COVID-19 and the restrictions that have hurt so many businesses.”
“Our tourism businesses don’t want to rely on government support forever. They want their tourists back. This package, combined with our vaccine roll-out which is gathering pace, is part of our National Economic Recovery Plan and the bridge that will help get them back to normal trading.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the measures would work hand-in-hand to boost interstate tourism and aviation in key regions significantly impacted by the loss of tourists.
“The new Tourism Aviation Network Support (TANS) Program will give Australians clear incentives to travel to key domestic tourism areas,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
“Discounts will be offered on tens of thousands of fares per week across an initial 13 key tourism regions.
“We’re working with airlines to increase the number of flights to these tourism areas – giving travellers the flexibility needed when organising dream holidays to destinations such as Tropical North Queensland and Kangaroo Island.
“In a big win for local communities, especially in regional Australia, we will continue to financially support flights which are so key to health services, employment opportunities and social activities.
“We’re also backing the workforces of our international airlines and the teams and infrastructure they need so that when tourism takes off again and our borders reopen, our airlines are ready to go.”
The half-price ticket program will initially operate to 13 key regions including; the Gold Coast, Cairns, the Whitsundays and Mackay region (Proserpine and Hamilton Island), the Sunshine Coast, Lasseter and Alice Springs, Launceston, Devonport and Burnie, Broome, Avalon, Merimbula, and Kangaroo Island. Flights, routes and the total number of tickets will be driven by demand and are subject to final discussions with the airlines.
The discounts will be off the average fare and will be available on airline websites from 1 April.
Other new measures in the support package include:

• New International Aviation Support to help Australia’s international passenger airlines maintain more than 8,000 core international aviation jobs
• Support for regular passenger airports to meet their domestic security screening costs
• A new Aviation Services Assistance Support Program to help ground-handling companies meet the costs of mandatory training, certification and accreditation to ensure they maintain their workforces so they can stand them back up when the market expands again.
• The reinstatement of domestic aviation security screening cost rebates for more than 50 regular passenger airports

The Morrison Government will expand and extend its ‘SME Loan Guarantee Scheme’ as part of its commitment to support up to $40 billion in lending to small and medium enterprises.
Under the existing Scheme, more than 35,000 loans worth more than $3 billion have already been provided, helping thousands of small businesses get to the other side of this pandemic.
As we move into the recovery phase, the Scheme will be targeted and tailored to support those businesses that have been relying on JobKeeper during the March quarter.
The SME Recovery Loan Scheme will benefit from an increased Government guarantee, increasing from the current 50/50 split between the Government and the banks to an 80/20 split. This will encourage more banks to support small businesses and demonstrates the Government’s commitment to back those businesses that are prepared to back themselves.
The expanded Scheme will also increase the size of eligible loans, increasing from $1 million under the current Scheme to $5 million. Businesses with a higher turnover will also benefit under the expanded Scheme, with the maximum eligible turnover increased from $50 million to $250 million.
Maximum loan terms under the expanded Scheme will also be increased from 5 to 10 years – providing businesses and lenders with greater flexibility.
The expanded Scheme will also allow lenders to offer borrowers a repayment holiday of up to 24 months.
Importantly, the Scheme will also be able to be used by eligible businesses to refinance their existing loans. This will allow SMEs to access the more concessional interest rates available under the program and to better manage their cash-flows through an extended loan term and lower combined repayments.
More than 350,000 current JobKeeper recipients are expected to be eligible under the expanded Scheme. Loans will be available from 1 April 2021 and must be approved prior to 31 December 2021.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said this latest package of measures was all part of the Federal Government’s National Economic Recovery Plan.
“We know there are sectors and regions across the country that are continuing to do it tough, which is why we will continue to support the economy with proportionate, timely, scaleable and targeted assistance,” the Treasurer said.
“Our support for the aviation sector will not just keep planes in the air but will also provide a boost to domestic tourism while our international borders remain closed.
“This SME Recovery Scheme is part of the next step in our plan to help small businesses stand on their own two feet as the economy recovers from COVID-19.
“The expansion and extension of the loans will back businesses that back themselves and will help businesses who continue to do it tough build a bridge to the other side of the crisis and keep their staff employed.”
Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan said the Government was also extending temporary, targeted measures for parts of the tourism sector impacted most from border closures.
“The thing our tourism operators want more than anything is tourists so we need Australians to do their patriotic duty and book a holiday this year because every dollar spent on an Australian holiday is a dollar that supports a local job and a local business,” Minister Tehan said.
“Our Government’s support package will help get more Australians into those tourist areas most impacted by border lockdowns, and we need states and territories to do their part by agreeing to a nationally consistent approach to using border closures and lockdowns as a last resort on medical advice.”
The Government has also extended the following programs to 30 September 2021:

• the successful Domestic Aviation Network Support (DANS) and Regional Aviation Network Support (RANS) programs
• the 50 per cent waiver of domestic air services charges for Regular Public Transport (RPT) and aeromedical flights
• the International Freight Assistance Mechanism.

The $50 million Business Events Grants Program will also be extended by three months to support Australian businesses to hold multi-day business events, covering up to 50 per cent of costs incurred in participating business events during the 2021 calendar year. This will help restart Australia’s business events sector.
The $94.6 million Zoos and Aquarium program will be extended by six months to support zoos, aquariums and wildlife parks to maintain their animal populations where their tourism revenue has been affected by travel and social distancing restrictions.
The COVID-19 Consumer Travel Support Program will also be extended for three months beyond 13 March.
For more information on the Government’s COVID-19 support for aviation visit https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/aviation/index.aspx#aviation
For further information on the COVID‑19 tourism support plan visit https://www.austrade.gov.au/Australian/Tourism/Tourism-and-business
For further information on the Small and Medium Enterprise Recovery Loan Scheme visit https://treasury.gov.au/coronavirus/sme-guarantee-scheme

The Greens are calling on the Morrison Government to provide targeted support to the arts and entertainment industry, together with the Covid Tourism Package expected to be announced this week before JobKeeper is cut off.
Greens Spokesperson for the Arts, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“A support package for the tourism industry is welcome, but it is well overdue and should be accompanied by a continuation of JobKeeper for as long as it is necessary during the pandemic.
“The Morrison Government must also announce a targeted support package for the arts and entertainment industry which works hand in hand with the tourism industry.
“Our arts and entertainment industry was the first to be shutdown by Covid restrictions and one of the last to get any assistance from the government. Then once it did, that assistance was measly and the funding programs have been well over-prescribed.
“The Morrison Government had no problem allowing the HomeBuilder scheme to blow out to $2billion to support an industry that only suffered a quarter of the job losses that arts and entertainment did.
“It’s another cruel blow for an industry that has delivered so much during the pandemic, and is still struggling to get back on its feet with domestic and international border restrictions and social distancing rules impacting its ability to operate at full capacity.
“It makes good economic sense to support an industry that contributes $112billion a year to our economy and it’s time the Morrison Government properly acknowledged that fact.”

The Greens have responded to the early closure of Yallourn by 2028 by slamming the Federal and State governments’ refusal to legislate a clear timetable for all coal closures by 2030 and establish proper transition authorities, saying Liberal and Labor’s unwillingness to plan a coal phase-out has left workers and communities in the lurch.
For too long, the state and federal governments have taken a backseat with the coal power station’s impending closure, despite years of advocacy from the Greens and environmental groups calling for a planned transition.
By taking millions in donations from big coal corporations instead of developing a clear plan for the phase-out of coal, Liberal and Labor have left workers and communities at the whim of decisions made by big corporations and billionaires in overseas boardrooms.
The writing has been on the wall for coal for years, and the Greens have long advocated for our governments to establish a plan that would see workers and communities adequately supported.
Coal remains the biggest cause of climate change in Victoria, and accounts for roughly 70 per cent of our state’s energy.
Lines from Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP:
“Liberal and Labor have refused to plan the transition out of coal and workers and communities are paying the price.
“Coal had had its day, but instead of planning for this closure, Liberal and Labor haven taken millions in donations from big coal corporations, leaving workers and communities at the whim of decisions made in overseas boardrooms.”
“The transition must put workers and communities at the forefront. They have powered Australia’s industry for centuries, and as we move to renewables they deserve certainty over their future, but Liberal and Labor are siding with the big corporations instead.
“To tackle the climate crisis, all of Australia’s coal-fired power stations must join Yallourn and be closed by 2030, but with a planned transition that looks after workers.
“Scott Morrison must create a Federal Transition Authority to plan for timetabled closures of Australia’s remaining coal-fired power plants by 2030.
“Even while coal barons quit the industry, Morrison’s coal-spruiking arrogance leaves workers and communities at the whim of big corporations and billionaires in overseas boardrooms.”
Lines from Deputy Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell MP:
“This coal plant in Victoria is the dirtiest in Australia. It will now shut four years ahead of schedule. Today’s announcement raises the question: why have our state and federal governments left these important decisions to big coal corporations instead of supporting workers and communities through a planned transition?
“Yallourn’s early closure is surprising to no-one. We’re in a climate crisis, renewable energy is booming and our coal plants are on their last legs. Governments need to step up and plan for coal closure, not leave it to profit-driven energy corporations.
“Victoria must be aiming for 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2030. A Yallourn closure date of 2028, while Victoria’s two Loy Yang stations keep pumping out pollution, is inadequate for the climate challenge we face. A Victorian government serious about climate change would be planning to replace all coal power in Victoria by 2030.
“The Victorian Government can’t take a backseat on coal closure. Victorian Labor proudly supports renewables. Now they need to be honest about coal closure. Victorian communities and workers should not have to pay the price for governments sleepwalking toward the inevitable.”

The Greens have said that Mr Morrison’s continued attacks on people on income support is cruel and demonising of people in our community who are doing it the toughest.
Greens Leader Adam Bandt said that his electorate of Melbourne was one of the hardest hit by every reduction to JobSeeker, and that Scott Morrison’s actions demonstrated he didn’t care about the genuine causes of unemployment.
Leader of the Australian Greens and Member for Melbourne Adam Bandt MP said:
“People in Melbourne are desperate to get back into work, but the jobs simply aren’t there. Cafes are only just starting to open up, restaurants and bars are still offering only limited shifts, and even people with work aren’t getting enough hours,” Mr Bandt said.
“Forcing a mass exodus of jobseekers will cause incredible amounts of damage to Melbourne’s hospitality industry and youth culture, worsening the battering it’s already taken through the pandemic.
“The best thing that Scott Morrison could do to return jobs to Melbourne is to raise JobSeeker above the poverty level. That would ensure that people don’t have to choose between eating and keeping a roof over their heads, and that money can continue flowing through Melbourne’s local economy.
“From winding back JobKeeper to making JobSeekers jump through endless hoops even for poverty level payments, it’s clear that Scott Morrison is waging an ideological war on people who need income support.”
Greens Community Services Spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert said:
“It’s shameful the way this Government attacks people on income support, calling them job snobs, essentially implying they are undeserving of support”, Senator Rachel Siewert said.
“What the Prime Minister is essentially suggesting is pretty much some sort of indentured labour.
“Mr Morrison is suggesting that people basically go on the road looking for seasonal work like back in the depression, homeless, subject to exploitation and poor conditions?
“This isn’t full time secure work we are talking about. This is telling people to uproot their lives, their responsibilities and support networks for a casual, insecure and temporary job in industries that have notoriously poor pay, conditions and accommodation.
“It’s a very dangerous path to be going down in a democracy to be telling people what job they should be doing and where they should live.
“Meanwhile, the Job Provider system (Jobactive) which is meant to be finding people jobs is rife with bullying, harassment, of people being ignored or treated very poorly by their job providers.
“While the Government is doing next to nothing about the systemic issues with the Jobactive system they have empowered employers with the means to intimidate and bully Jobseekers with the DobSeeker line.
“The Government won’t acknowledge how broken the job provider system they are pouring billions into is.”

Today I want to take the opportunity to discuss the future of Australia’s cities and the need to reinvigorate cities policy so that our great urban centres – the places where so many Australians live, work and do business – can be the drivers of a stronger economy as we emerge from pandemic and recession.
 
With the rise of digital technologies in recent years, policymakers have discovered the importance of network economics.
 
Yet networks have been with us a lot longer than the Internet. Cities are the original networks.
 
By bringing people together, they expand the scale, scope, and structure of human activity, allowing freer, faster, and more flexible interaction and engagement.
 
That boosts the creation, production, and exchange not just of goods and services, but also of ideas.
 
It’s why we think of our big cities as having their own energy – the snap, crackle and pop of creativity and excitement that comes from bringing people together, at scale.
 
As the American economist Ed Glaeser has noted, the central finding of urban economics is that people are substantially more productive when they work in densely populated areas surrounded by other people.
 
Economies of scale, economies of agglomeration and network effects all come together to make cities attractive and rewarding places to live, work and do business.
 
But while there are strong positive impacts from well-functioning cities, there can also be significant negative impacts when cities are poorly managed and poorly organised.
 
This is why cities policy has been one of the abiding passions of my time in public life.
 
We need smart cities policy to harness the tremendous benefits that our urban communities can bring for all Australians.
 
And we need smart cities policy to avoid the drawbacks of poorly-functioning cities – all the urban ills of overcrowding, congestion, pollution, crime, poverty, and disadvantage.
 
Cities policy embraces all the domains that affect prosperity and quality of life in our towns and cities – transport and infrastructure; housing; urban planning; economic development; industry and innovation policy; business and commerce; education, skills and training; policing and law enforcement; healthcare and social welfare.
 
Good cities policy will improve the lives not only of the millions of Australians who live and work in cities. It will also improve the lives of the people of rural and regional Australia who rely on cities and towns to get their products to market, to create demand and to deliver the inputs they need for their own local economies. Regional cities are critical for regional economies. There are real opportunities for a smart regionalization agenda if we get policy right coming out of the recession.
 
Today I will outline six measures Labor will implement as we recreate cities policy in the wake of the pandemic and the recession:
 

• Transform City Deals into genuine City Partnerships.
  
• Revitalise our CBD’s.
  
• Renew the independent role of Infrastructure Australia in urban planning.
  
• Deliver a new National Urban Policy framework.
  
• Publish an annual State of the Cities Report.
  
• And give local government a voice in a meaningful National Cabinet process.

 
THE PANDEMIC AND OUR CITIES
Australia is one of the world’s most urbanised countries in what has been described as the urban century.
 
The overwhelming majority of our people live in cities and towns with populations of 100,000 or more.
 
About 80 per cent of our GDP is produced in cities.
 
On current trends more than 80 per cent of Australia’s population growth to 2050 will occur in our capital cities, according to the Productivity Commission.
 
For Australia, having cities that work is essential to national prosperity and to the quality of life of individuals.
 
The Productivity Commission has shown that many of the aspects that make for well-functioning cities also matter for people to be healthy, for job opportunities, for efficient markets and for the delivery of quality services.
 
All this means that cities policy is critical to our future. And COVID-19 has made it even more pressing.
 
The pandemic has struck at the heart of what makes cities work – people’s ability to come together, to interact, socialise, travel, and move around the urban environment.
 
Lockdowns, social distancing, and restrictions on movement – along with the ways we have adapted to the pandemic by working and learning from home, telecommuting and teleconferencing, and shopping and doing business online – these developments all have implications for our cities.
 
COVID-19 has brought its own changes to the way our cities function. It has also accelerated pre-existing trends.
 
Like the displacement of bricks and mortar retailing by online shopping and home delivery.
 
Or businesses reducing overheads by having staff hot desk or work remotely.
 
We can’t be certain about the future trajectory of the pandemic, although we all hope the roll out of vaccines will prove successful in containing the spread of the virus.
 
While some of the changes wrought by the pandemic will prove temporary, many are likely to have a lasting impact.
 
Working from home will continue to be attractive to many employees and employers in industries where recent experience has shown it is a viable alternative.
 
For employees, it can offer greater convenience and flexibility and the avoidance of an expensive and tiring daily commute.
 
For employers, it can reduce the costs of maintaining offices and other centralised facilities.
 
Some aspects of these changes could improve productivity and quality of life in our cities.
 
Other aspects may prove negative.
 
When employees are working from home and communicating by teleconferences and Zoom calls, what happens to the spark of creativity, the insights and ideas that come from face-to-face interactions in a workplace?
 
Amongst others, Andy Haldane of the Bank of England has expressed his concerns about the depletion of social capital and the drag on creativity and innovation that may come from remote working.
 
We must examine the impact of changed work patterns on urban infrastructure, transport systems and congestion.
 
Working from home may reduce traffic flows and congestion in our cities.
 
On the other hand, as workplaces reopen, continuing concerns over COVID-19 and the difficulty of social distancing on buses and trains may see people switching from public transport to private vehicles.
 
That would have negative implications for congestion, pollution, and productivity. Commercial property markets are reflecting the changes.
 
The Property Council of Australia’s latest Office Market Report shows that Australia’s office space vacancy rate for the six months to January increased from 9.6 per cent to 11.7 per cent – its highest level in 24 years.
 
At the same time, there is rising demand for warehousing and distribution space as retail shifts online.
 
Australian retailers leased more than 800,000 square metres of warehouse space in the first nine months of 2020 – that was 33 per cent higher than the amount of space leased by retailers during the whole of 2019, according to Jones Lang LaSalle.
 
There is a potential transformation from the hub and spoke model of the city, with its large daily inflows and outflows between suburbs and CBDs, to a more distributed and dispersed city.
 
Changes like these may disrupt our cities and our settlement and living patterns. Hollowed out CBDs could diminish the benefits of agglomeration.
 
The structural changes unfolding in our cities; the uncertainties about the pandemic’s future course; and the overarching context of Australia’s first recession in three decades – all these trends mean we are at a critical time for the future of our cities.
 
These are the issues Labor is contemplating as we prepare for government.
 
I am an optimist.
 
With the right policies our cities can adapt to the new opportunities.
 
For example, one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy in coming years will be health and human services.
 
This creates the opportunity to develop unique precincts in our major centres like Westmead in Western Sydney and the Melbourne BioProject in Parkville that will serve local populations and offer skilled and secure jobs.
 
Likewise, for many workers technology will reduce the need for the daily commute, relieving congestion and offering the scope for areas beyond the CBDs to experience similar levels of dynamism.
 
The expansion in online sales, dispatch and procurement requires greater integration between land use and transport planning.
 
What we need is a plan to guide these developments in the national interest. Joined up planning is critical.
 
Planning where the Commonwealth, the States and Territories, and local government come together to pursue productivity and growth.
 
To build a more productive Australian economy we need more productive and more resilient cities with high quality, integrated transport systems, efficient supply chains and a skilled workforce.
 
If we are going to build back stronger from COVID and recession, we need to reimagine our cities and reinvigorate our cities policy.
 
The pandemic has been a once in a lifetime event.
 
It now offers us a once in a lifetime opportunity to use these accelerated trends to move towards cities that are more productive, sustainable, and liveable.
 
And cities that are more resilient to future shocks, as well.
 
In Australia, and around the world, planners, designers, technologists, and policymakers are bringing forward new ideas for reinventing modern cities.
 
The “smart city” movement is focussing on how to use the Internet of Things, fifth generation mobile networks and artificial intelligence to cut congestion, improve urban services, improve public safety and protect the environment.
 
The Victorian Government’s latest plan for Melbourne includes the urban planning concept of “20-minute neighbourhoods” – improving liveability by giving people the ability to meet most of their daily needs within a 20-minute walk from home.
 
If we recognise the challenges and opportunities, and develop the right policies, we can harness the urban transformation in a way that will help us build back stronger from the pandemic and the recession.
 
If we get urban policy right, Australia can attract talent and investment from around the globe in the immediate post-pandemic environment.
 
Unfortunately, at a federal level, the Morrison Government has vacated the field on cities policy.
 
It is failing to provide leadership and direction, failing to work with the States and Territories and failing to support local government on these issues.
 
For Scott Morrison, if he can’t put a marketing slogan on it, he’s not interested.
 
Cynical pork-barrelling has characterised his government’s approach to cities policy, most evidently through the urban congestion fund which has delivered much more to advertising executives than suburban commuters.
 
The result: no busting of congestion, no lifting of productivity and no confidence that there’s a government on the side of suburban commuters too often battling nightmare commutes.
 
And he has allowed Malcolm Turnbull’s City Deals with state and local governments to wither on the vine, with the result that little of value has been achieved.
 
Labor takes a different approach.
 
We understand the importance of well-functioning cities for Australia’s economy and for the jobs, livelihoods, and quality of life of Australians.
 
This will be one of my priorities as Labor leader.
 
It is an area where I have the background, the track record and the commitment.
 
I was the nation’s first Minister for Infrastructure.
 
I developed the country’s first National Urban Policy.
 
I created the Major Cities Unit, tasked with analysing data and developing policies to improve the productivity, sustainability, and liveability of Australian cities. It was abolished on day one by the incoming Abbott Government.
 
Now, in the wake of pandemic and recession, I believe the need for federal engagement with urban policy is greater than ever.
 
 
A NEW DEAL FOR AUSTRALIAN CITIES
Firstly, Labor will refresh City Deals to take account of the impacts of COVID – impacts like technological change, new working and consumer habits, diminished migration and slowing population growth.
 
Labor will honour signed City Deals. However, we will also offer councils, states and territories the opportunity to improve existing agreements, transforming them into genuine city-shaping partnerships.
 
We will listen, and we will act.
 
And we will look to sign new City Partnerships that meet the needs of local communities based on local understanding and transparent criteria.
 
Secondly, we need a plan to revive our CBDs, not just a generic plea for workers to go back to their desks.
 
Indeed, according to the Grattan Institute 50 per cent of the new jobs which were generated in the past decade were in the centre of Sydney and Melbourne.
 
We need our cities to be at the frontier of dynamism and innovation.
 
And importantly, we need to recognise that the pandemic hasn’t changed the economics of agglomeration. The reasons which led many knowledge industry firms to cluster in city centres will still be valid.
 
Workplaces which are now places of collaboration rather than task-performance are different, and the spaces around them may be able to be repurposed for housing, or to revive arts and culture.
 
There is a role for the national government in enabling our city centres to effectively adapt, on their own terms.
 
Thirdly, a Labor Government will re-establish a Cities and Suburbs Unit within Infrastructure Australia, an independent body tasked with assessing the progress of City Deals.
 
We will abolish the Infrastructure and Project Financing Agency. This was a solution looking for a problem when it was created four years ago, and as predicted by bodies such as Infrastructure Partnerships Australia it has failed to deliver any outcomes for its $17 million of funding.
 
Put frankly, any cost benefit analysis of its effectiveness would set a new low from a Government that has abandoned any pretence of value for money in its allocation of taxpayer funds.
 
Of course, Labor remains firmly of view that the private sector – and our superannuation funds in particular – has an important role in financing public infrastructure. Indeed, Infrastructure Australia, when it was working properly under the former Labor Government, was instrumental in securing the public-private partnerships that delivered transformative urban infrastructure projects like Gold Coast Light Rail.
 
The new Cities and Suburbs Unit will recommend to Government the design of a new National Urban Policy framework, informed by expert evidence, industry expertise and community input.
 
It will produce an annual State of the Cities report, a report card on the progress and performance of our cities, helping to identify the specific initiatives of local initiatives of local councils and state planning authorities which are effectively working to create more productive, sustainable and liveable urban communities.
 
The work of the Unit will be complemented by reconstituting an Urban Policy Forum made up of experts including academics and bodies such as the Property Council, Architects, Engineers Australia, the Planning Institute, the Heritage Council, and the Australian Conservation Foundation.
 
And lastly, we will ensure local government has a voice in a genuine National Cabinet process, bringing a focus on urban policy to the national stage.
 
Making our cities and our suburbs work better also means making it easier to buy a home and easier to rent.
 
The fact is it is getting harder to buy a home, it is getting harder to rent in many parts of Australia and there are more homeless Australians than ever before.
 
Fixing this requires a bit of national leadership. It’s not good enough to just leave this up to the states.
 
That’s just like saying “I don’t hold a hose.”
 
The fact is too many cities, particularly regional cities, are being left behind by the Morrison Government.
 
Good urban design and better functioning cities are critical to not only the economy, but also to the general welfare of society. Indeed, the great English planner Sir Peter Hall wrote the book on this entitled Better Cities, Better Lives.
 
CONCLUSION
Importantly, our cities policy will not stand alone – it will be one element in Labor’s wider plan to build back stronger.
 
Economic recessions are scarring.
 
They destroy jobs, businesses, and communities. Their effects can be long-lasting.
 
It’s not good enough for national government to check the box when the quarterly GDP number has a plus sign in front of it, roll out the next taxpayer-funded political advertising campaign, and withdraw support from people struggling to recover.
 
That is why our cities policy will be integrated into a broader agenda for building back stronger.
 
An agenda that is about jobs and growth:

• Boosting female participation in the workforce by making quality childcare more affordable for working families.
• Rebuilding manufacturing for a future that is made in Australia.
• Tackling insecure work.
• Rewiring the nation’s energy grid.
• And seizing the jobs and opportunities that will come from tackling climate change.

 
This is an agenda for individuals – for their job security, incomes, and livelihoods. agenda for stronger communities in our major cities and our regions.
 
And it is an agenda for the nation – for growth, productivity, and sustainability.
 
Our cities provide connectivity, competition, scale, and energy to the Australian economy.
 
They are richly threaded with skilled labour, dynamic businesses, enterprises, services, and talent.
To deliver long term growth in living standards, Australia needs productivity to flourish again, in the way it flourished thanks to the reforms of Hawke and Keating in the 1980s and 1990s.
We now have a once-in-a-generation chance to rebuild our cities, our economy, and our country for the better.
Labor intends to seize that opportunity, not to shirk it.
To deliver a Government characterised by reform, policy substance and delivery, not complacency, drift and smirk and mirrors.
 

The Greens today welcomed the announcement of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Victoria – a historical opportunity for First Nations people to tell the truth of the history of violent dispossession from their land.

It comes as Senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe, then Greens MP for Northcote, called in 2018 for “funding (to) be provided for a process of truth telling about the true history of Victoria”, as truth-telling needs to be a central part of any Treaty process.
Truth and Justice Commissions have been held across the world in the aftermath of grave and often racially motivated injustices being carried out by governments.
The Greens believe the forthcoming Elders Council is well-placed to provide cultural governance and oversight over this important process, as First Nations people must be given complete agency over how the Commission is run. The Commission must also be representative of all 38 nations in this state.
If successful, a Truth Commission of this kind could also set an important precedent for similar Commissions in other jurisdictions, and at the national level.
“We can’t  move forward as a country until we reckon with the truth about our history,” Senator Thorpe said today.
“When the colonisers invaded, there was a war on these lands – a war that hasn’t ended. But we won’t achieve peace without truth. The announcement of a Truth Commission today is a historic opportunity to bring people together to open up the possibility of a genuine Treaty process, not just in Victoria, but across this country.”
Senator Thorpe also reaffirmed the Greens’ earlier calls for a moratorium on all sales of Crown land until a genuine Treaty has been signed.
“Victoria’s treaty process has been a pretty token gesture so far. If Labor is serious about justice for our first peoples, they will also agree to a moratorium on logging while the Commission does its work. You can’t be serious about telling the truth about our ongoing connection to these lands and waters, as you keep destroying it,” Senator Thorpe added.
“For too long the history of this Country has been white-washed, and the voices of First Nations people have been relegated to the margins,” Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam MLC said today.
“Hopefully this Commission is the first of many steps towards changing that. This is a direct result of years of community campaigning for truth-telling and First Nations justice,” Ms Ratnam added.

The Greens say that halted shipments of Astra Zeneca vaccines from Europe show the risks of relying on international supply chains to inoculate Australians, extending their call for the government to establish a publicly-owned vaccine production centre.
News of a quarter of a million doses due for Australia being blocked has exposed the risks caused by the privatisation and winding down of Australia’s domestic vaccine production capabilities over decades.
“Australia can’t be reliant on imports from big drug companies, hoping that the supply chain isn’t disrupted in a global pandemic,” Bandt said
“We need to make sure that people here are rapidly vaccinated, and that we’re able to play our role in supplying vaccines to the Pacific.
“We need a publicly-owned mRNA vaccine manufacturer in Australia.
“Scientists and health experts have backed the Greens call for Australia to build its own domestic mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacity.
We are calling on the Government and Labor party to accept this needs to be done now. “In addition to suring up supply of the Astra Zeneca vaccine, Australia needs to develop domestic mRNA technology which is easier to adapt to new strains of Covid-19. “With publicly-owned domestic manufacturing capacity, we won’t just be able to make sure that everyone here is inoculated against new pandemics as they come, but we’ll be a vaccine production hub for the region.”
Greens spokesperson on Health Senator Rachel Siewert said:
“This difficulty with international supply chains is a clear example of why the Government should have already started building a more diverse vaccine portfolio.
We don’t want to go down the ugly and dangerous road of vaccine nationalism.
If Europe continues with the approach of banning exports of vaccines they risk extending the pandemic because no one is safe until everyone is safe.
Australia should commit to increasing its funding to the COVAX AMC to at least the level of Canada (an additional $135.2m USD).
This could also include calling on big pharma to temporarily waive intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines to facilitate universal access.”

In response to the NSW Government’s new koala state environmental planning policy, Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“Letting the National Party dictate koala protection policy is like putting the fox in charge of the hen house.
“The Berejiklian Government’s capitulation to the Nationals will drive koalas closer to extinction. Koalas are already on track to be extinct in NSW by 2050.
“Land clearing, degradation and fragmentation is the greatest threat to koalas. It must be stopped.
“Instead the NSW Government is planning to make it easier to bulldoze and log trees on forestry and agricultural land where most habitat destruction occurs. It’s completely nonsensical.
“The Australian Greens Save the Koala Bill would stop land clearing of critical habitat and help save our national treasure.
“The new laws were debated in the Senate last month and referred to a Senate Inquiry.
“If passed, these laws would prevent the Federal Environment Minister from approving new mines or developments in koala habitat.
“Right now, the Liberal and National Parties are failing to protect our precious wildlife. Off the back of the worst bushfires in history, no approvals for developments or logging on koala land should be given – not by NSW or the Morrison Government.”

The Australian Government is ensuring the COVID-19 Vaccination Program meets the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) acknowledged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have an increased risk of acquiring and developing serious outcomes from communicable diseases due to multiple factors.
It is critical that the vaccine program is designed and delivered in a manner which is accessible, inclusive and culturally safe. This includes ensuring communications are developed and targeted for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and that information and services are delivered in appropriate languages and formats and within appropriate facilities and locations.
A comprehensive vaccine implementation plan (the Plan) has been developed in consultation with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group on COVID-19, and with state and territory governments.
This Plan has been built on principles aligned with the Management Plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Populations, including shared decision-making between Governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; community control and cultural safety across the whole-of-population system.
The Australian Government will work closely together with each state and territory government and with the ACCHS to support vaccination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in each jurisdiction; and across metropolitan, regional, rural, remote and very remote settings.
The Plan is supported by the $31 million COVID-19 vaccination public information campaign which includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and mainstream media channels. Over $500,000 has been provided to support communication with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including the translation of audio content into 15 languages.
In addition, a further $14.8 million will be provided to support the sector be vaccine ready. Funding will be flexible to allow for national consistency and to address local needs. This also includes funding to the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) to support coordination of the COVID-19 vaccine program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country.
This Plan is available on the Department of Health website.
Vaccinations will be accessible on a rolling basis, depending on vaccine delivery schedules and prioritisation of groups for most urgent vaccination.